The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1887-03-16

! drying winds are 70 he 9nar.:c., against
How? First by keeping the soil wei
! filed with humus. Heavy rains caano1
compact u new-ground. Second, by not
bringing up too much clay to the sur
face. II Il thin soil, with clay subsoil:
must be deepened with a turn plow, il
should be done very gradually, only 9
little clay brought up at one time: and II
is better if this be done just IN advance
OF small gram, instead of & crop which
has to be piowed and hoed. For thin,
poor soils the scooter ttgo-horse) is de
cidctlly preferable TO the tUcn-plow.
The manner OF covering the seed
affects also tie crusting of the soil above
them. Ii the land is rolled, or if the
seed is covered with a board-which to a
certain degree compresscs the soil like a
roller-&rta! ::s :hus left fat, crusting is
much more a!,t 70 ensue, than if the seed
is covered with plow and the land lett
lightly ridged Corn planted in 4 very
shallow drill and covered with double
foot plow, making Il very small list or
ridge over it. is in better condition 10
come up well than under aIy other mode
of planting we know.
Opinion is divided as TO the policy OF
planting corn in water iurrow. The
greatest objection is the filing Of the
furrow with water after heavy rains and
the consequent baking and hardening OF
the soil when It dries off after water has
stood upon it. In wet spring, it IS
difficult 10 secure a good stand under
these circumstances, and the corn, when
quite young, is liable to be drowned out.
But these disadvantages, which are ad-
mittedly great, are, We think, more than
counter-balanced by the great ease Of
cultivating the crop. The Successive
ploughings cover up and kill grass with
ease and certainty, and at the same time
throw dirt to the corn about as fast as it
needs it. It renders possible also the
exclusive use OF the sweep or scrape in
the cultivation Of the crop, and this
carries with it, almost of necessity, shall
low culture, which is q matter OF the first
importance. Planting corn in the water
furrow also facilitates the application Of
manure around the corn, without the
necessity OF siding and possibly cutting
its roots. Another decided advantage is
that the corn IS laid by, with the surface
fat and level, instead Of being ridgel.
In our dry, hot climate this is also very
desirable. When the soil is .hin, the
water furrow must be correspondingly
shallow; it would nos be we'll to plant
corn deep in the raw subsol. Circum
stances alter cases, and sound judgment
must be exercised about every operation
of the farm.
The question is often asked, what
manpres are best adapted to corn; As
compared With cotton, corn needs about
the same substances with 4 somewhat
increased quantity of nitrogen. Cotton
seed, for instance, winch has always been
successfully used as a manure for corn,
is by Itself unsuited as fertilizer for
cotton, and nitrogen is the predominant
clement of cotton seed. But experience
has shown that cotton seed is improved
as a manure for corn by the addition OF
phosphate, showing that corn does not
need quite SO large proportion of
nitrogen TO pEosphoric acid and potashas
cotton seed contains. \ strictly cotton
manure IS also improved, when intended
fer corn, by the addition Of more potash.
In Furman's formula, Tor instance,
which is adapted to cotton on medium
lands, the cotton seed and kainit might
be doubled for corn on the same quality
of land. Cow manure and ashes have also
proved an excellent fertilizer for corn.
But experiment has not succeeded as yet
in fixing as definitely the proportion Of
IN corn manure as it has II
that for cotton. Experiments made at
the North throw comparatively little
light upon corn-growing at the South,
because from the prcdominance OF grass
and grain crops in the former, the soils
OF the North are much richer in organic
nitrogen than those OF the South.
The winter killing OF oats for several
years past has thrown q damper on that
crop and ERECTED attention rather more
to corn. But it is urged upon the reader
tC remember that unless arrangements
are made to work the corn crop with the
plow alone, it may prove 4 very eXpen-
sive crop. If upland corn IS planted III
the water fulrow, and this frIrow is filed
up gradually not all at once By success
sive ploWings, and if bottom lands are
planted in checks, 1t is possible, indeed
it is easy to cultivate a crop with the
plow withou3 the aid of the hoe. Start
ing the plow early and repeating the
plowings ut short intervals is the whole
secret. Such cultivation, with judicious
viii insure cheap corn But
as the corn crop is more or
less liable to be cut OF by drought, it is
desirable, in making arrangements for
an ample supply Of provisions, to include
IN ones programme mere or less OF the
larger grained sorghums Ike katlir corn.
These viii make fair yields under cir
cumstances where corn would utterly
fail, and our experience induces the be-
lief that foc feeding purposes their grain
is nearly or quite as good as corn.
This is the proper month for top
dressing grass and grain. \ little nitrate
of Soda-say 80 pounds per acre-ln
combination with phosphatcs, viii often
produce a marked change il their
growth. a yellowish cast oi the leaves
IS pretty sure indication oi the need oI
nitrogen, AID 1t is ;hia substance which
the nitrate Of sod. supplies. For clover,
plaster is the usual top-dresslnG; 100
pounds per acre willsutlicc. Sometimes
it produces wonderful etItcts-occas:on-
ally no apparent results follow It's appii-
cation-but no one can prcdi.. Il adj
vance whether it vii, ii1 good or not.
Grass, clo7Sr :-u0 llcccne may sill De
sown, but it IS well to do this II tie inst
half Of tie month, that the young plants